Neuron Formatting Requirements: Complete Author Guide

Neuron mandates this section order in the main document:

1. Title
2. Author list and affiliations
3. Lead Contact footnote
4. Corresponding author email(s)
5. Summary (150 words max)
6. Introduction
7. Results
8. Discussion
9. Resource Availability
10. Acknowledgments
11. Author Contributions (CRediT format)
12. Declaration of Interests

These three elements are required and submitted as a single Word document alongside the manuscript.

Highlights: 3--4 bullet points, each under 85 characters including spaces. State specific, testable claims:

• "Parvalbumin interneurons in layer 4 gate sensory input through feedforward inhibition"
• "Dopamine D2 receptor activation in striatal SPNs shifts action selection toward habitual responses"

In Brief (eTOC blurb): Up to 50 words, third person, present tense. Describe the context and finding for a non-specialist readership. Example: "Chen et al. show that optogenetic silencing of VIP interneurons in mouse barrel cortex disrupts whisker-guided texture discrimination by removing disinhibitory control over layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons."

Graphical abstract: Required for Articles, Short Articles, and Resources.

• Dimensions: 1,200 x 1,200 pixels (square, non-negotiable), 300 dpi
• Format: TIFF, PDF, or JPEG
• Minimum text size: 18 pt
• Single panel, no multi-panel collage
• Must be understandable without reading the paper

For Neuron, effective graphical abstracts typically show a circuit diagram with the manipulation and its behavioral or physiological consequence. Avoid packing in every control condition.

At final submission, main-text figures must be uploaded as separate high-resolution image files, not embedded in the manuscript. Titles and legends go in a single "figures" section within the main-text document.

Electrophysiology traces: Include scale bars for both time (horizontal) and amplitude (vertical) on every trace. State scale bar values in the legend. Individual action potentials should be resolvable. If showing averaged responses, indicate the number of sweeps averaged.

Circuit diagrams: Neuron places particular value on clear circuit diagrams showing cell types, connections, and signal flow. Use consistent conventions: triangles for excitatory neurons, circles for inhibitory neurons. Many papers include a model figure (typically the last main figure) integrating all findings into a circuit schematic.

Neuron uses the Cell Press numbered citation style.

In-text: Superscript numbers in order of first appearance. Commas for multiple citations (^1,2,3), hyphens for ranges (^4-8).

Reference list:

1. Smith, A.B., Johnson, C.D., Williams, E.F., and Lee, G.H. (2025). Title of article in sentence case. Neuron 113, 123-135.

All authors listed (no "et al." in the reference list). "and" before the last author. Year in parentheses. Journal abbreviation per MEDLINE, volume in bold, comma between volume and page range. No hard reference cap, but 60--80 is typical for Articles. Neuroscience papers often need to cite prior work on the specific brain region, circuit, and behavioral paradigm, which adds up quickly. A well-curated list at 75 references is standard.

Preprints are citable with the preprint server name and DOI. Neuroscience moves quickly, and relevant bioRxiv preprints should be cited. Ignoring a directly relevant preprint looks like either unawareness or avoidance to reviewers.

STAR Methods is mandatory for all Neuron research articles.

Required subsections:

1. Resource Availability, Lead contact, materials availability (viral constructs, mouse lines), data and code availability (repository accessions, DOIs)

1. Experimental Model and Study Participant Details, Mouse/rat strains (full name, sex, age, vendor, housing), human subjects (IRB, consent, demographics), cell lines (source, authentication)

1. Method Details, Surgery (stereotaxic coordinates, anesthesia), electrophysiology (configuration, solutions, electrode properties), optogenetics (virus, expression time, fiber placement, light power, wavelength), behavior (apparatus, training protocol, trial structure), histology, computational modeling

1. Quantification and Statistical Analysis, Tests for each comparison, software, sample sizes at every level (cells, animals, sessions), exclusion criteria, definition of statistical measures

Key Resources Table: Mandatory. Lists all antibodies, viral constructs, mouse strains, chemicals, software, and hardware with sources and identifiers. For Neuron papers, this commonly includes AAV constructs with serotype/promoter/transgene details, transgenic lines with Jackson Lab stock numbers, recording equipment, optogenetic hardware specs, behavioral apparatus, and analysis software with version numbers.

Electrophysiology must be exhaustive. Reviewers expect:

• Electrode material and impedance
• Internal solution composition with exact concentrations (mM)
• External solution (ACSF) composition
• Recording temperature and holding potential
• Series resistance values and acceptance criteria
• Junction potential correction (or statement that it wasn't corrected)
• Acquisition system, sampling rate, and filter settings

Missing any of these generates specific reviewer questions. Patch-clamp experiments are particularly scrutinized because small differences in recording conditions can dramatically affect results.

Stereotaxic coordinates must be precise. For any surgical manipulation, provide coordinates relative to bregma (AP, ML, DV) with the reference atlas named (e.g., "Paxinos and Franklin Mouse Brain Atlas, 4th edition"). Include histological verification in the figures.

Optogenetics documentation: Specify the virus (serotype, promoter, opsin variant), expression time, fiber placement with coordinates, light power at the fiber tip (mW/mm^2, measured before each experiment), wavelength, pulse duration, and frequency. Vague descriptions like "blue light stimulation" are insufficient.

Calcium imaging data: Include representative dF/F traces with clear baseline periods and stimulus markers alongside summary statistics. Neuron reviewers expect to see individual examples, not just population averages.

The "n" problem: State what "n" represents in each analysis. n = 15 cells from 5 mice is very different from n = 15 mice. Report the number of cells, animals, and independent sessions. For calcium imaging, report ROIs, imaging sessions, and mice separately. For behavioral data, state the number of animals and trials per condition. This is one of the most common revision requests at Neuron, and getting it right the first time saves weeks.

Neuron follows the Cell Press supplementary framework.

Supplemental Figures and Tables: Peer-reviewed, published alongside the article. Label as "Figure S1," "Table S1," etc.

Supplemental Videos: Common for behavioral experiments, in vivo imaging, and optogenetic manipulations. MP4 format. Include clear labels and time stamps. Behavioral videos should show the relevant epochs (stimulus presentation, response) with annotations.

Data repositories: Large datasets should be deposited in public repositories before submission. Common choices for Neuron papers:

• DANDI Archive for neurophysiology data (NWB format)
• GitHub + Zenodo for code with DOI
• GEO/SRA for transcriptomic data from brain tissue
• ModelDB for computational models
• Open Science Framework for general data sharing

Source Data: Raw data underlying figures is increasingly expected, especially for electrophysiology summary data and behavioral metrics.

Behavioral paradigm descriptions: Describe the apparatus (dimensions, material, manufacturer), training protocol (number of sessions, criteria for stage advancement), trial structure (timing of stimuli, inter-trial intervals), and dependent measures (how you defined and scored the behavior). If you used automated tracking, name the software and version. Reviewers expect enough detail to reproduce the exact experimental conditions.

Neuron manuscripts should begin with:

• Full title
• Author names with superscript affiliation numbers
• Affiliations with full institutional addresses
• Lead contact with email
• Author contributions (CRediT taxonomy, mandatory)
• Declaration of interests
• Keywords (up to 10)

For neuroscience papers with multiple experimental components (behavior, electrophysiology, imaging, computation), clearly delineate who performed each type of experiment in the CRediT statement. This is a common source of revision queries when left vague.

Neuron's requirements combine Cell Press standards with the extensive methodological documentation expected in neuroscience. Electrophysiology conditions, optogenetic parameters, stereotaxic coordinates, and behavioral protocols all need precise documentation, and missing details in any area will trigger revision requests.

Neuron submission readiness check checks your formatting against Neuron's requirements, including STAR Methods structure, Key Resources Table completeness, reference formatting, and word limits.

For related Cell Press journals, see our guides for Cell Metabolism and Molecular Cell.

In our pre-submission review work on Neuron-targeted manuscripts, three patterns consistently predict formatting desk-screen failure at Neuron (Cell Press). The patterns below are the same ones Mariela Zirlinger and outside reviewers flag at first-pass triage.

Scope-fit ambiguity in the abstract. Neuron editors move fastest on manuscripts whose contribution is obviously aligned with neuroscience research with mechanistic depth and broad-significance implications across neural systems. The named failure pattern: single-circuit mechanistic claims without cross-neural-system validation extend revision rounds. Check whether your abstract reads to Neuron's scope

Methods package incomplete for the journal's reviewer pool. Neuron reviewers expect specific methodological detail. Preliminary lineage-tracing or circuit-mapping claims extend reviewer consultation. Check if your methods package is reviewer-complete

Reference-list and clean-citation failure mode. Editorial team at Neuron (Cell Press) screens reference lists for retracted-paper inclusion. Recent retractions in the Neuron corpus we audit include 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.05.018, 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.10.014, and 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.07.011. Citing any of these without a retraction-notice acknowledgment is an automatic desk-screen flag. Check whether your reference list is clean against Crossref + Retraction Watch

Manusights submission-corpus signal for Neuron (Cell Press). Of the manuscripts our team screened before submission to Neuron and peer venues in 2025, the editorial-culture mismatch most consistent across the cohort is neuron in-house editors emphasize cross-neural-system mechanistic depth; single-circuit mechanistic claims extend revision rounds. In our analysis of anonymized Neuron-targeted submissions, Recent retractions in the Neuron corpus include 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.05.018, 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.10.014, and 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.07.011.

In our pre-submission review work with manuscripts targeting Neuron, four patterns generate the most consistent desk-rejection outcomes.

STAR Methods section absent or Key Resources Table missing. As a Cell Press journal, Neuron requires a structured STAR Methods section with a Key Resources Table for all primary research articles. The Key Resources Table lists all antibodies, chemicals, software, and biological materials with catalog numbers and RRID identifiers. Manuscripts submitted without a STAR Methods section, or with a conventional unstructured Methods section, are returned before editorial assessment. The Cell Press STAR authors guide is mandatory reading before submission.

Graphical abstract absent or describes the experimental system rather than the finding. Neuron requires a graphical abstract for all research articles. A common submission error is providing a schematic of the experimental setup or the neural circuit being studied, rather than a visual representation of the main biological conclusion. The Cell Press guidelines specify the graphical abstract should convey "what the study found, not how it was done."

Scope misalignment: circuit or systems neuroscience framing without cellular or molecular mechanistic depth. Neuron editors evaluate whether submissions bridge neural circuit findings with cellular or molecular mechanism. Purely behavioral studies without circuit-level analysis, or circuit papers without molecular underpinning, are more appropriate for other Cell Press or neuroscience journals. The author guidelines state Neuron publishes work "across the breadth of neuroscience, from molecules to circuits to behavior," with mechanistic linkage across levels being the key criterion.

Figure panels submitted as rasterized images at insufficient resolution. Cell Press requires that all schematic figures and diagrams be submitted as vector graphics (EPS, PDF) or at a minimum 600 dpi for line art. Neuroscience manuscripts frequently include complex neural circuit diagrams, connectivity maps, and anatomical overlays that are submitted as compressed JPEGs or PNGs at screen resolution. These are flagged for figure revision before peer review. Microscopy images require 300 dpi minimum; authors often submit at 72 dpi from image analysis software.

A Neuron formatting and readiness check evaluates manuscript structure, STAR Methods compliance, graphical abstract quality, and figure resolution against these desk-rejection patterns before you submit.